This post is sponsored by The Calgary International Film Festival
With Calgary’s annual Pride celebrations officially wrapped-up, the memory of ten days of celebrating all things LGTBQ culture are becoming a faded glitter-covered haze. But just because Pride is done for another year, it doesn’t mean there isn’t events celebrating LGTBQ culture have to stop! Â
The 19th annual Calgary International Film Festival is coming up starting on September 19th to 30th and with it, it brings hundreds of movies from countless genres, ensuring that there is quite literally a movie for everyone. Â Ticket prices for individual films are $15, with ticket bundles of 6, 10, 20 that take the price down to $12 , the Calgary International Film Festival marks a great way to see the best in cinema from all around the world, all from the comfort of downtown Calgary.
This particular year, I have my film-loving heart focused on the LGTBQ cinema. The thing I learned from the most recent Calgary Pride is that there is so much history and layers to our story than I realized, so I’m looking forward to catching some films that continue to share those stories and from a variety of perspectives.
Tickets are on sale now to the entire festival, but here are some of the films you should keep an eye out for!
Best friends Franky and Ballas are high school royalty: handsome, stars of the swim team and popular with girls. At Franky’s birthday party, they’re involved in an unexpected incident that changes their lives forever.
Screening:
Sun, Sep 23rd, 11:40 AM @ Eau Claire 4
Sat, Sep 29th, 7:50 PM @ Eau Claire 1
A Navajo coal miner struggles with destructing nature as a means to provide for his family. Meanwhile, his daughter is coming to terms with her own conflict as a homecoming queen who plays men’s football.
Sun, Sep 23rd, 3:00 PM @ Eau Claire 6
Tue, Sep 25th, 5:00 PM @ Eau Claire 1
Belle has long been at odds with her mother, who took it hard when she came out as a lesbian teen. After returning home to Nova Scotia for her father’s funeral, she becomes desperate to hide she’s been dating a man for 2 years.
Sat, Sep 22nd, 11:30 AM @ Eau Claire 6
Sun, Sep 30th, 6:00 PM @ Eau Claire 6
A raw coming-of-age drama with a synth-heavy soundtrack that takes us down the familiar path of trying to fit in amongst friends. Riding on their tuned-up motorbikes, Mati and her posse of male friends intimidate their neighbourhood and harass the girls. Mati’s world is turned upside-down when her closest pal Sebastian falls for her, and Mati’s enemy Carla unexpectedly turns into a friend.
Sun, Sep 23rd, 4:30 PM @ Eau Claire 1
Outside a club one night in a small Nova Scotia town, musician Scott Jones was stabbed twice in the back and slashed across the throat in a homophobic assault. The brutal attack left him paralyzed from the waist down and forced him to confront a new reality with limited mobility, while his assailant was never prosecuted with a hate crime. As both filmmaker and close friend to Scott, Laura Marie Wayne crafts an intimate, poetic and deeply moving story of transformation. Scott’s resilience in returning to the places he holds dear and sharing his musical talent with audiences shows fear has no place in his life.
Screening:
Fri, Sep 28th, 6:30 PM @ Eau Claire 1
Sat, Sep 29th, 2:00 PM @ Eau Claire 1
GROSS INDECENCY: THE EVERETT KLIPPERT STORY (short film)
In 1965, Calgarian Everett Klippert was the last Canadian to be jailed for homosexuality. Kevin Allen of the Calgary Gay History Project journeys to better understand Klippert and his place in Canadian LGBTQ history.
Screening:
In Best of Shorts: Sun, Sep 30th, 5:00 PM @ Globe Cinema – Up
SHORTS PACKAGE 4: How Soon is Now: Sat, Sep 22nd, 4:50 PM @ Eau Claire 2
and Mon, Sep 24th, 5:00 PM @ Eau Claire 2
Discounted ticket offer:
If you’d like to join me for the Friday, September 28th screening, when you’re buying your ticket use discount code “MikesBlog18” to save $2. The code is good for up for 50 tickets, so don’t wait too long. Let’s watch this incredible movie together and all cry at the tragedy and cheer at the perseverance together.
